1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information processing technology for transmitting image data to a storage apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, it has become popular to transmit image data read with an image reading apparatus to a storage server on an external network and save the image data on the storage server. This storage server can be set to share image data with only specified users by configuring the settings so that only specified users have access, or to share image data with unspecified users by configuring the access settings so that anyone has access.
Here, the prior agreement of the user is required as to the settings of the storage area on the storage server to which image data read by an image reading apparatus is to be transmitted, such as whether the storage area will be set so that unspecified users have access (storage area set to unlimited access), or whether the storage area is set so that access is limited to specified users, for example. This is also because of the possible infringement of security, privacy, copyright and the like (hereinafter, “security and the like”) related to an image, if an image that was not meant to be made available to unspecified persons is stored in a storage area set to unlimited access.
However, image data may also be stored without the user knowing that the access range settings of the storage server have been changed. Infringements such as the above can occur if such a situation arises.
It is desirable to prevent such situations. Technology for notifying a user that the settings have been changed without the user's knowledge has been proposed (e.g., see specification of Japanese Patent No. 4174480, etc.). In the specification of Japanese Patent No. 4174480, in order to prevent an MFP transmitting image data or the like to the wrong destination, registered destination information is checked prior to transmission to that destination, and if the information has been updated after transmission was last performed to that destination, the user is notified of the change.
Even when the access range settings of the storage area are thus checked prior to storing data, there is a problem in that even though the user does not need to be notified in the case where the settings are changed to limit access since there is no possibility security or the like being infringed, the user will be notified whatever the change according to the technology disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent No. 4174480.
Even when a user that has received notification that the settings have been changed returns the settings to their original state, for example, a further notification will be issued as a result of that change according to the technology of the specification of Japanese Patent No. 4174480.
Furthermore, in order to notify a user, the image reading apparatus needs to be provided with means for that purpose, and performing such notification with a simple image reading apparatus is problematic.